Rhonda Bracey: At Random

Was it something I ate? I haven’t slept more than a few minutes at a time all night. I’ve felt nauseous to the point of putting the trash can by the bed — just in case. Last night a group of us went to dinner at a seafood restaurant, so perhaps any of the crab cakes, potato and halibut soup, grilled halibut, or the assortment of desserts was to blame. Perhaps not too. Who knows? All I know is that I haven’t had much/any sleep and I have to do my presentation later today!

If I feel sleepy during the sessions today, do I consume more caffeine (Diet Coke) or come up to the room to grab an hour or so’s sleep?

In the meantime, I’ve taken two Tums to try to settle my stomach. BTW, it’s not nerves. I know how my body deals with ‘stage fright’ nerves — and it’s not like this.

Update: At least two other people at the table also were sick last night, and the organiser has called the restaurant to let them know. we think the common element was the crab cakes or the sauce that went with it, but there were some who ate the crab cakes and didn’t get sick. But there’s no other common element that we can figure out.

…so I was impressed by an initiative that I saw at my uncle’s. He had a flyer from Blue Shield offering free membership to ‘The Silver Sneakers’ for all those 60 and over (I think it was 60 — no matter). There was a long list of participating fitness clubs and gyms, all of whom allow people in this age bracket free membership so they can keep fit.

What a good idea! A health insurance fund trying to keep its long-term costs down by providing the means for the aging segment of the population to keep as fit as possible and thus keep them out of the health system for as long as possible.

Back in October when I was in Sydney for a conference, I decided to purchase a new bra. It cost AU$99, which is way more than I expected. For several years now I’ve helped out the US economy by buying bras and underwear at factory outlet stores like Jockey and L’Eggs Hanes…

Yesterday I went into a L’Eggs Hanes outlet store in Carlsbad, California. Not only did they have some bra styles that fitted, they also had a HUGE  range of styles and sizes — a much bigger range than you see in Australia. And the prices were pretty darned reasonable — US$30 recommended retail, reduced to US$20 at the outlet store PLUS a ‘buy two get one free’ offer. I bought 4 and got 6 all for US$86 (including tax). Converted, that’s AU$124 for SIX. And I paid AU$99 for ONE in Sydney.

You’ve got to wonder why. The brands were the same, they’re all manufactured outside the US and Australia in places like Indonesia, China, etc. So how can the Americans sell bras at a reasonable price (even the US$30 recommended retail only converts to AU$43, less than half the price I paid in October) yet in Australia we pay an exhorbitant amount for the same piece of cloth likely manufactured in a country geographically closer to us?

I had breakfast this morning with my uncle and three of his buddies. My uncle is 85, two of his buddies are of a similar age, and one is 90. Add in my years and the combined age of the table was about 400 years! That’s a lot of experience and knowledge in the one place. Oh, and in case you were thinking this was just a lot of old blokes (and me) having breakfast, they are all highly intelligent men and very mentally fit (if not quite so physically fit as they used to be). The conversation ranged far and wide — from the current economic crisis, to Obama’s presidency, to the careers they had when they were in working life, to their military experiences, their antecedents/genealogy, etc. We covered a lot in 90 minutes!

The 90-year-old, an ex Merrill Lynch broker, told several jokes, including this one that I remember: “What’s the definition of liquidity?” Answer: When you check your stock portfolio and pee your pants…

My uncle is 85 this year, and last year he broke a femur — in the same place as a previous break about 5 years ago. He was in hospital for some weeks, then in rehab, and then at home with a 24 hour a day carer for a few more weeks. He had to learn to walk again, was then on a walking frame, and now uses a cane occasionally. I’m concerned about him and have been for some time, as he lives at home alone. Being an ornery sort of guy, he won’t consider moving into a care facility. And really, he doesn’t need a lot of care at this stage — he’s still able to drive, still cooks, still does his laundry etc. However, he is getting frailer and if he has a fall, there’s no-one to help him in a timely manner.

So I was delighted to find yesterday that he’s now employing a caretaker some 5 hours a day, 4 days a week. She’s lovely. She keeps the house clean and tidy and makes sure he’s OK. Right now she’s cooking lunch for us all (chicken fajitas). I’m really pleased my uncle has decided to employ her as he really needs someone to keep an eye on him. His son lives in Texas, his daughter lives some 400 miles away, his adult grandsons live at least 70 miles away, and his granddaughters are in Georgia and Arizona respectively.

Whenever I stay with my uncle in California, I have to earn my keep! 😉 He always has a list of computer issues he’d like me to take a look at (and fix if I can). So yesterday afternoon we tackled the list. I could fix most of the issues (they were small things like re-sorting a list of names into alphabetical order by clicking on the column header), but there was one I couldn’t fix. He gets a message similar to ‘This copy of Windows may not be genuine’ when he’s on his computer and when he tries to open Windows Media Player etc. I asked where his Windows disk was — he says some local guy made his computer and he doesn’t have a Window disk, so I suggested he contact this ‘local guy’ and ask why he’s getting this message and where the original Windows CD is (I’m a suspicious type…).

I solved another problem too — he couldn’t get a DVD to work. There was a reason for that — he only has a CD drawer in his computer, and of course a CD unit won’t read DVDs. This morning he said that maybe the thing in his room would read it. Yes, he had a DVD player! So I put in the DVD and he switched over to the correct channel but nothing happened. Then he said what about that loose cable in the back. It was a coaxial cable. Once I removed the TV’s coaxial cable from the TV and replaced it with the one from the DVD unit, it worked! Of course, if he does this himself, he’ll have to remember to swap the cables each time — and remember to put back the TV coaxial cable. There has to be an easier way…

But I think I’ve earned my keep already!

This time last year, on the flight to LA, I spotted Cyndi Lauper sitting just across the aisle from me. Today, I just saw Paul Kelly in the Qantas Lounge. Is he going to the US or NZ? Enquiring minds want to know….

And with all that time and energy they can produce something like this amazing video! (if this video disappears go to YouTube.com and search for ‘extreme sheep LED art’… I’ve gone to a few links I was sent and the video had been removed)

The Victorian bush fires have been absolutely devastating, and brought home just how lucky our town was to avoid a similar situation only a few weeks ago. Regular readers of this blog will know how scared I was of that bush fire. And with a large bush block behind our house, I still don’t feel safe.

A firefighter in Gippsland, Victoria (from news.com.au)

For those who want to help (especially those living outside Australia where information about donating can be thin on the ground), I’ve put together a short list of charities and volunteer organisations that are taking donations of money. Many humanitarian organisations are suggesting that you don’t donate goods as the cost of getting them to the affected areas can be more than the goods themselves — they need money to buy new stuff for those affected by the fires. And we’re not talking TV screens here — basics such as food and water, tents for shelter, clothes, toiletries, toys for the kids… The wildlife organisations need money for medicines, cages, oxygen, food, and for euthanising drugs for the thousands of native animals that survived but which are too damaged to be saved.

Anyhow, here’s a list of charities, banks, and volunteer organisations that will accept online donations via credit card or PayPal, no matter where you live in the world:

• http://redcross.org.au/ (donation form: https://www.redcross.org.au/Donations/onlineDonations.asp) The Red Cross has said that ALL money will go to the victims — none will be kept for ‘administrative costs’; the Red Cross is also the official collection agency for the state government’s Victorian Bushfire Appeal Fund.
• http://www.salvationarmy.org.au (donation form: https://salvos.org.au/donate/secure-online-donations/?appeal=drvicfires)
• http://www.cfa.vic.gov.au/about/supportingcfa.htm (Country Fire Authority — the firefighters on the ground! Equipment, fire protection suits, water trucks, etc. will all need to be repaired or replaced)
• http://anz.com.au/ (bank)
• http://westpac.com.au/internet/publish.nsf/Content/WICR+Victorian+Bushfire+Appeal (bank)
• http://www.commbank.com.au/about-us/in-the-community/health-and-welfare/bushfireappeal.aspx (bank)
• http://www.wildlifevictoria.org.au (donation form: http://www.wildlifevictoria.org.au/cms/index.php?option=com_wrapper&view=wrapper&Itemid=43)
• http://www.rspcavic.org/campaigns_news/news_bushfires.htm (RSPCA)

Finally, the Australian Information Industry Association is taking donations of new computer and telecommunications equipment and is coordinating a list of volunteers who have computer and ICT skills they can offer. Details: http://www.aiia.com.au/pages/bushfiresupport.aspx

I have no doubt there are many other organisations helping in this time of Australia’s worst natural disaster, but these would be good starting points if you want to help.

For those living in Australia, check what your employer is doing. Two of my clients are matching employee donations dollar for dollar, so if you donate $100 they’ll kick in another $100 to match your donation. It’s a quick way to double the relief effort, so don’t forget to ask. Oh, and these same clients will match a donation already made too — they just require a copy of the official receipt to show you donated.

Sam the koala getting a drink of water from firefighter David Tree

The real heroes